# Why is Bloomberg advertising on a local Chicago TV station? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 9, 2020, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-bloomberg-advertising-on-a-local-chicago-tv-station/846175 "2020-01-09T15:29:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-bloomberg-advertising-on-a-local-chicago-tv-station/846175/1 "2020-01-09T15:29:32Z")
The Illinois and Indiana Democratic primaries aren’t until.March, but his ads are on the WGN Morning News several times a day. Why? ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-bloomberg-advertising-on-a-local-chicago-tv-station/846175/2 "2020-01-09T15:52:31Z")
I can think of two possiblities. One - were there any ads run by any candidates on Iowa TV stations on Christmas? 12/25 is 68 days before Iowa Caucuses day, just as the day I am posting this is 68 days before Illinois Primary day. Two - is it just “local” WGN, or are there ads on the national version as well? Maybe the campaign just happened to buy time on both. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-bloomberg-advertising-on-a-local-chicago-tv-station/846175/3 "2020-01-09T15:54:26Z")
Not sure, but he is buying ads in a lot of big cities that seems unrelated to how the primary system works. He is running ads in several states that don’t even have their primaries until well after super tuesday. > **[2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Democratic_Party_presidential_primaries#Primary_and_caucus_calendar)** > > Hillary Clinton > Joe Biden > **[Bloomberg launches giant TV ad campaign for apparent presidential run](https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2019-11-22/bloomberg-launches-a-huge-tv-ad-campaign)** > > Bloomberg is on the verge of a White House run as he breaks ad spending record > [@](#): > > The breadth of Bloomberg’s ad buy is unusual for a presidential primary. He reserved ad time in dozens of media markets, including some of the most expensive in the country: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Miami, Denver, Cleveland, Phoenix and Detroit. I don’t understand his strategy. He is polling at 5% or so at most right now, and several of these cities are in states who won’t have their primaries until the candidate is pretty much chosen, or at best its a 2 way race. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-bloomberg-advertising-on-a-local-chicago-tv-station/846175/4 "2020-01-09T16:24:13Z")
For all intents and purposes, Mike Bloomberg has an infinite amount of money. So why not? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-bloomberg-advertising-on-a-local-chicago-tv-station/846175/5 "2020-01-09T16:25:13Z")
I’ve seen them everywhere on Chicago TV. It’s baffling because he doesn’t need to run an anti-Trump campaign in blue Illinois. And it is too early for primary advertising I’d think. It’s like the Christmas ads in September ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-bloomberg-advertising-on-a-local-chicago-tv-station/846175/6 "2020-01-09T16:29:46Z")
It’s never too early to get name recognition. The names of three quarters of the original 20-some Democratic candidates, if you asked a typical voter about them, would produce a response of “Who?”. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-bloomberg-advertising-on-a-local-chicago-tv-station/846175/7 "2020-01-09T16:30:08Z")
I’m assuming he’s trying to get his national polling numbers up. You get those up, and you’ll be in the news more often, which will then affect the early primary states. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-bloomberg-advertising-on-a-local-chicago-tv-station/846175/8 "2020-01-09T16:35:24Z")
Here in NC he’s on TV more than Law and Order reruns. We vote March 3rd. Steyer is running ads here too. Nobody else is running TV ads here yet. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-bloomberg-advertising-on-a-local-chicago-tv-station/846175/9 "2020-01-09T16:39:39Z")
Perhaps, with basically an infinite supply of money, he’s making a quick attempt to foist himself into the top tier n nationally, which is especially important given his late entry into the race. These ads have already bumped him into the top five nationally according to 538’s poll of polls. And in a recent poll in Michigan, he tops Trump by 6 points in a head to head match-up. The only candidate to do better is Joe Biden, with a 7-point edge. ([Biden, Bloomberg have largest leads against Trump in Michigan poll](https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2020/01/09/biden-bloomberg-have-largest-leads-against-trump-michigan-poll/2846700001/)) Blanketing the nation’s airwaves is a great way to go up in national polls. Will it work for him? Time will tell. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-bloomberg-advertising-on-a-local-chicago-tv-station/846175/10 "2020-01-09T16:44:06Z")
He did show up here last week to open campaign offices in Raleigh and Fayeteville. I figure after IA and NH we will get a lot of Dem visits since we are next to SC which is another early primary. Candidates can cover both states on TV by going to Charlotte which is on the SC/NC border. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-bloomberg-advertising-on-a-local-chicago-tv-station/846175/11 "2020-01-09T16:44:42Z")
I think, at this point, he’s just trying to gain recognition that he is a serious candidate. And he can afford it. He just bought a 60 second Super Bowl ad, (as did Trump). And remember, even if Trump’s dubious estimates of his wealth are true, Bloomberg is almost twenty times richer than Trump. > **[Reuters | Breaking International News & Views](https://www.reuters.com?edition-redirect=in)** > > Find latest news from every corner of the globe at Reuters.com, your online source for breaking international news coverage. And he just gained an interesting endorsement, that of Judge Judy Sheindlin. And, a little off-topic but I didn’t want to start a new thread, there was a thought-provoking article in the Atlantic. It discusses how MB not only spends a ton of money to get elected but he uses his money while in office to fund his policy agenda. For example, he’s been anonymously keeping the NY Public Library afloat for years . And he would donate to organizations that might be inclined to oppose him in order to quiet them. Some employees knew what was going on even though the donations weren’t public. When he ran for office they began speaking about it privately because it was something they wanted their friends that voted to know. This article confirms it. But it raised some interesting questions about both the appropriateness of such spending and about how it made MB more effective at the local level in a way that won’t translate to a national level. The guy might be really rich, but he’s not rich enough to fund a national healthcare system. > **[The Real Power of Bloomberg’s Money](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/01/bloombergs-bankrolling-wasnt-just-about-campaigns/604390/)** > > It’s not what he spends to get into office that’s so transformative—it’s what he spends once he gets there. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-bloomberg-advertising-on-a-local-chicago-tv-station/846175/12 "2020-01-09T16:54:32Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > For all intents and purposes, Mike Bloomberg has an infinite amount of money. So why not? Not just that, his real goal is to stop a wealth tax. 1% of his net worth is $570 million. The wealth taxes being looked at by people like Sanders & Warren would tax him 6-8% of his net worth each year. He is going to spend $400 million on his election campaign (so far at least), which is a fraction of what he would pay in one year of a wealth tax. Thats what it really comes down to. Despite all the spending I think he polls at 5%. But if he can get popular enough to block a wealth tax, it’ll be money well spent. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-bloomberg-advertising-on-a-local-chicago-tv-station/846175/13 "2020-01-09T16:56:02Z")
I don’t know the guy, but his ad with a nurse from NYC is pressing a lot of my buttons. I can’t help it! The guy (his adman) is a pro and it shows. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-bloomberg-advertising-on-a-local-chicago-tv-station/846175/14 "2020-01-09T16:57:12Z")
No but he might be rich enough to grease some wheels. As president he’d not just have the money for greasing but power and influence to perhaps start turning some wheels as well. Not saying I’m an MB supporter, but I can see some appeal. Incidentally, if he were to largely self-fund his general campaign too, imagine the money that people would otherwise donate to the presidential race going toward Senate, House and state races. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-bloomberg-advertising-on-a-local-chicago-tv-station/846175/15 "2020-01-09T17:02:32Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Perhaps, with basically an infinite supply of money, he’s making a quick attempt to foist himself into the top tier n nationally, which is especially important given his late entry into the race. > > These ads have already bumped him into the top five nationally according to 538’s poll of polls. > . He is in fifth place, with 5% of the vote. The top 4 candidates have a combined total of around 70% of the vote. > **[Latest Polls](https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/president-primary-d/national/)** > > The latest political polls and polling averages from FiveThirtyEight. One good thing is things like this show money doesn’t = power when it comes to politics. Hillary outraised Trump and lost. Bloomberg is spending more than the other candidates combined and is barely at 5%. > [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Incidentally, if he were to largely self-fund his general campaign too, imagine the money that people would otherwise donate to the presidential race going toward Senate, House and state races. Yeah thats a good point. An extra billion will go far in various close races. Taking the presidency is important but so is getting the senate. Also winning as many state house or governorships as possible to block 2020 gerrymandering needs to be a high priority too. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-bloomberg-advertising-on-a-local-chicago-tv-station/846175/16 "2020-01-09T17:03:19Z")
When Bloomberg was mayor, how did he and Trump get on? Poorly, I hope. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-bloomberg-advertising-on-a-local-chicago-tv-station/846175/17 "2020-01-09T17:17:21Z")
He might not make it to the debates, since the criteria currently require both meeting polling thresholds and having a lot of individual donors. Since he’s not soliciting donations, he wont get to participate in the debates unless they change the rules specifically for him. So adds are even more important for him to get his message out there. He could wait and save his money, but it might take a while to convince people to pick him over the ones who’ve been in the race longer. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-bloomberg-advertising-on-a-local-chicago-tv-station/846175/18 "2020-01-09T17:24:14Z")
I would have thought he was trying to boost his national numbers to make the debate stage, but he’s already cleared the January polling threshold but will never make the donor threshold since he’s not seeking out individual donations. So I’m not sure I get the strategy either. We haven’t gotten Bloomberg ads here in St. Louis, but have seen a bunch of Steyer ones. Another odd decision… ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-bloomberg-advertising-on-a-local-chicago-tv-station/846175/19 "2020-01-09T17:28:30Z")
He’s obviously trying to get the all-important Cecil vote. Though the Illinois primary isn’t terribly far away and getting decent numbers in big cities is one quick way to raise your national numbers. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-bloomberg-advertising-on-a-local-chicago-tv-station/846175/20 "2020-01-09T17:40:01Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > We haven’t gotten Bloomberg ads here in St. Louis, but have seen a bunch of Steyer ones. Another odd decision… I’m also seeing a good amount of Steyer ads in Chicago. I haven’t seen a single ad from any of the front-runners. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-bloomberg-advertising-on-a-local-chicago-tv-station/846175.md?page=2)